The Library
by Buffy2204
Summary: Arthur starts to become agitated in his ignorance. He feels like he knows very little about his kingdom and his people. After Morgana and Agravaine's betrayal he endeavours to ensure that no one will be able to hide things from him again. He starts small (or so he thinks) with the exploration of the vaults beneath his feet. A task that no one has completed for generations
1. Chapter 1

_Hello everyone! Welcome to my next fic. _

_Summary: __Arthur starts to become agitated in his ignorance. He feels like he knows very little about his kingdom and his people. After Morgana and eventually Agravaine's betrayal he endeavours to ensure that no one will be able to hide things from him again. He starts small (or so he thinks) with the exploration of the vaults beneath his feet. _

_Warnings:__ Most likely to be a Reveal fic (unless I get a huge vote against it :P). No slash. Heavy bromance._

_Set__: Between season 4 and 5. About a year after Morgana's last attack. (Because I'm still in the denial stage of the grieving process for the show)_

_I'm writing this as I update so feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated for motivation and to make sure I stay on plot (I tend to go off on a tangent). _

_I have no beta. All mistakes are my own and I hope they don't detract from your enjoyment._

Chapter - 1

**In your thirst for knowledge, be sure not to drown in all the information. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo**

0o0o0

Camelot's vaults were a mystery even unto it's king.

No one really knew the extent of the treasures that were hidden in its depths. Nor the amount of priceless artefacts, forgotten jewels in forgotten tombs, forbidden books and confiscated religious items. Books decaying in dust, fading slowly through neglect having not been read since ages past. The vaults had their own life in their dim and abandoned world. Occasionally a new piece would join their ranks or another would find a way to escape, having suddenly found itself useful again to the people of the castle above.

Whole rooms could be rediscovered again after a many years of secrecy. They would be hidden so long that people would forget why they were hidden in the first place.

Arthur did not like mystery.

He had asked Geoffrey, one day, if his father had ever kept an inventory of the contents of the vaults. If there were any list or description of all the items he had seized from sorcerers over the years. There hadn't been. Uther did not care to know, for he would not use anything that was magical and he would not destroy it for fear of its power. Or, Arthur suspected grimly, they were not destroyed just in case they one day became useful or valuable. Such were his father hypocritical tendencies. He admired his father for gathering such a vast collection of treasures but he also loathed Uther's complacency in ignorance. He would take an item and lock it away purely because it was magical. He would not learn anything about it or ascertain its danger to people, nor would he want to learn about it. He would just want it hidden.

Well Arthur refused to bury his head in the sand. He wanted to know what exactly was beneath his feet. He wanted to know the stories. He wanted to know the secrets. He wanted to remove the mystery from the vaults.

So Geoffrey was assigned a couple of assistants, three knights and two guards and was told to go down into the vaults with the most up-to-date map of its maze of rooms and document every single piece down there. Then, just for good measure, Arthur wanted investigations done of each item. He wanted to know where they had come from, who their last owners were and, especially, what their purposes were.

He didn't know where the sudden urge to know everything had come from. Over the last few months he had just felt something screaming at him to start learning, start looking, start _seeing_. He wanted to know this castle and the people in it like the back of his hand.

He had to start with the biggest mystery – the vaults.

Lately (and he couldn't remember how it started) but the need to find out about the secrets of the vaults had started to become a slight obsession. Geoffrey had, quite rightly, told Arthur that what he was asking the librarian to do would take months, maybe even a year or more. Arthur had accepted this, he didn't need to know everything right away, and it was never possible to know everything right away. Knowledge was gained through hard work and patience. He knew this.

So why did he always find himself wandering down to the vaults in odd moments of his day? Why did he find himself asking for reports to be sent up as soon as they were written? When did the desperate need to uncover the hidden truths of the vaults start seeping into his everyday life? He was becoming paranoid with it. Everywhere he looked was another secret, another mystery, another puzzle. The more he learned about the vaults, the more he began to think about all the other things he might not know about. If he hadn't known about all the treasures right beneath his feet, how many other things had escaped his notice. He was finding riddles where there were none to be found.

He had even become suspicious of Gwen! She had only gone to pick flowers in the meadow one morning and he had questioned her about her motives for this like she was a suspect in a murder investigation. Why did she want to pick flowers when she had a maid to do this? Why didn't she ask him to do it for her? He was romantic enough to want to pick flowers for his new wife. Didn't she like receiving flowers from him anymore? It was ridiculous and he had quickly apologised in a distracted way but the nagging feeling still remained.

The last straw was when he had become convinced that _Merlin_ was hiding something from him, for Gods sake. The man was a blasted open book. If Merlin wasn't free from suspicion then no one was safe and Arthur finally decided rein himself in. (Merlin's wide-eyed terror at being suspected of having a secret over breakfast one morning was enough to make bring Arthur to his senses any day.)

So, for the safety of the kingdom, (and possibly Merlin's blood pressure) he had to know what was in those vaults before he went completely went up the wall.

Unfortunately, he was beginning to doubt that even when he knew everything there was to know about the vaults that his sudden thirst for information would immediately be quenched. When you started exploring, it was very hard to stop.

But he knew he had to be wary. There was a reason why his father had kept these things hidden, kept them secret, in the first place. Most of the artefacts were magic, and magic was dangerous no matter what the original purpose for it was. Magic corrupted even the most innocent of things.

Arthur knew that whatever he discovered in the vaults had to forever remain in the vaults. He could not be tempted to use any power hidden there, all that had been laid to rest there had to return to continue its eternal slumber. He had learnt too many lessons from Sigan to even think about taking advantage of any of the articles that were kept under the citadel.

That was, until there came the day that the library was discovered.

It was a library that had not been stepped foot in for many generations. The door had been hidden behind shelves of trinkets and it was not until those trinkets had been removed and the shelves pushed aside that the handle of a door had been spotted. And no one would have realised it was a door at all if Percival hadn't yanked at the handle and the whole wall appeared to give way. The door ran from the ceiling all the way down to the floor and was twice as high as a man. The seams that held the door flush against the wall were not visible under decades of dirt, not until the dust crumbled away under Percival's strength.

The report that Arthur was reading told him that the first to enter the library had been Percival, shortly followed by Merlin.

(And it would be Merlin, of course, because Arthur specifically remembered ordering Merlin to clean the stables that day so naturally he would be nowhere near them.)

The library was as high as the throne room and just as grand and full of nothing but towering shelves of small wooden carved boxes. Some were inlaid with gold; some were plain and made of inexpensive wood. Some of them were set apart at regular intervals and identified by an ancient script carved onto their lids and some of them were discarded, piled high on top of each other in corners, nooks and niches. One of these small boxes could fit into the palm of Arthur's hand comfortably. And for the whole room to be filled to bursting with them meant that there had to be hundreds on those shelves. Hundreds of small, carefully carved locked boxes.

They were calling it a library as this was what Geoffrey had translated the plaque on the door to read after it had been freed of a at least a century of dirt. The language was apparently old enough to predate the building of the castle which just brought up more questions than it answered. Did this mean there was a city here before Camelot? Did his father know about this 'library'? There were no records left from the time before his father invaded this land. It was possible that he knew about a city or that the city was still standing when he arrived and he just built a castle in its centre. But the library was so undisturbed and had looked like it had been that way for more like centuries rather than decades so Arthur deduced that Uther could not have known about the library and that any city that was here when his father arrived couldn't have been more than ruins already half-hidden by time.

So here was another riddle that Arthur had to decipher. A room that had been here before even the castle was built, in fact even before the city was built. Filled with small unassuming, wooden boxes.

Geoffrey, with the help of Gaius and Merlin, was already starting to translate the script that littered the walls, ceilings and floors. Gaius estimated that there must be at least a hundred page book written on the many surfaces of the library. Frustratingly, they had yet to find page one and Gaius explained that it would be foolish and almost impossible to try interpret any intelligible meaning behind the words without putting them in context. Starting from the beginning would give them that context.

On one of his impatient and investigatory trips to Geoffrey's study chambers Arthur had discovered Gaius and Geoffrey pouring over pages and pages of wax rubbings taken from the library as he had expected he would.

Merlin had apparently shirked his chores for the afternoon and joined them, he was sitting in the corner of the room, rocking on a very unstable looking chair, staring intently at one of the wooden boxes. He was turning it carefully over and over again in his slender fingers, occasionally stroking the carvings on the outside. He was so intent in his scrutiny of the box that he appeared to have completely missed Arthur's entrance. They all had. They were all transfixed.

Arthur couldn't blame them. The writing in front of them was not just any old scrawl. The letters had been carved so carefully in either stone or wood, it looked more like artwork than any kind of book passage. The calligraphy depicted on the boxes and the walls was some of the finest work Arthur had ever seen. Anyone who had even the briefest glance of it would be enticed to read it.

Apart from Gwaine who was currently asleep in the chair next to Merlin.

"Merlin!" Arthur barked and was immensely satisfied to see everyone in the room jump and Merlin set his chair back onto all four of it's legs with a surprised thump (Gwaine snorted in his sleep but otherwise was undisturbed) "I specifically remember telling you to get the dents out of my armour today. At no point did I say that you were spend the day twiddling your thumbs down here,"

Merlin placed the box on the desk with a collection of various other boxes from the library and got up. "Yes, well, I'd just finished so I thought I'd drop by here to see if Gaius needed any help," he smiled. "You know me, always willing to lend a hand,"

Arthur sighed but decided to ignore Merlin's blatant laziness in favour of asking Gaius and Geoffrey if they had got any further in translating the text. Gaius had little news other than to say that they seemed to know why it was called a library even though it held no books. The script seemed to imply that the small chests each held a piece of parchment inside sealed with a wax stamp.

"Has anyone actually opened one of them yet?" Arthur asked.

This seemed like the most obvious thing in the world to Arthur. Find a secret room, full of secret boxes, the next logical step is to open secret boxes to see what's inside. He picked up one of the more plain-looking chests, it didn't look like it would be hard to pry it open. His fingers itched to try. That urge to know more, to draw the veil away from the mystery, bubbled in his chest again.

"I don't think that would be wise at this moment in time, sire," Gaius said in warning and removed the box from Arthur's hand. Very much like he used to when Arthur was a child and had picked up one of his vials of potions to play with. Arthur suppressed the boiling curiosity in his chest for favour of another day.

"Why not?" Arthur said petulantly.

"We have no idea what kind of information could be found inside, if there are any traps and there are indications that magic could be involved," Gaius reasoned.

The last part caught Arthur's attention.

"There are signs of magic?" he asked.

"Sire," Gaius sighed "This is all written in an ancient dialect of the Old Religion. It is highly likely that this room has seen all manners of magic over the years,"

"This is the language of the Old Religion?" Arthur said pointing to a wax rubbing in astonishment. He was astonished because he had never seen it written down, and that it was so… beautiful looking. For some reason, he imagined the script of the Old Religion to be written in harsh forms and jagged lines (possibly in blood), but this looked natural and flowing like the author took great care and love in what was being said, like they wanted it to be kept treasured for an eternity. He was also astonished because nobody had seemed to think that it was important to let the King in on this little titbit of information.

"One tongue, if it were more modern I'd have an easier time translating but this appears to be an extinct dialect," Gaius continued but paused at Arthur's concerned glare. "We did not think it right to worry you with this information until we were sure, sire,"

Arthur nodded mutely.

But he also bristled slightly at the idea of information being purposefully withheld from him.

He was just being paranoid, he knew, but after everything that had happened… with Morgana… with Agravaine, he just couldn't have people keeping things from him. Not anymore. And if he was totally honest with himself, this was probably the root of this obsession with the vaults. And his general obsession with having to know everything.

"I'd like to be kept apprised of all new discoveries as they are made Gaius," Arthur said sternly "I want to know what we are dealing with,"

"Yes, sire," Gaius agreed. Geoffrey nodded his consent in the background. Merlin did not appear to be paying attention to the conversation at all. He was back to staring at the box he had put down again, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed.

"You can send Merlin with messages," Arthur decided "Seeing as how I can't get him to leave this project alone anyway. He might as well make himself useful,"

Merlin paid no heed to the gentle mocking. He was still staring at the box.

"Merlin?" Arthur waved an arm in front of his face.

"Hmm?" he blinked and looked up at Arthur.

"I swear, Merlin, you must be the most useless servant I have ever had the misfortune of employing," Arthur grumbled and left the room when Merlin just decided to grin in response.

Merlin took to his new assignment like a duck to water. He spent every available minute helping Gaius and Geoffrey. Apparently he was quite the research assistant. Arthur was fully updated at every meal. Merlin would come in with his lunch and give accounts of what had happened during the morning and then again at dinner, when he was serving Arthur and Guinevere in his chambers, he would witter on about another word they had just learnt or their differing theories on how old it is. The words didn't make a lot of sense on their own and Gaius and Geoffrey were just starting to piece them together and give them that all important context.

There were even times when Merlin had arrived on time for breakfast having just worked through the night with one or both of the older men. Arthur had never seen Merlin so enthused about something in all the time he had known him. And, for once, his constant chatter was actually interesting to Arthur.

Until one morning, just as they were getting so very close to putting all the pieces together and Arthur had actually been planning to spend the day in the librarian's study reading through the text together, Merlin had come up with his breakfast and hadn't said a word past the obligatory 'Good morning'.

Normally Arthur would just be thankful for the peace and quiet but he had grown accustomed to his morning updates on the writing.

"What is it?" Arthur asked Merlin irritably.

Gwen came to sit down beside him at the table as they waiting for Merlin to present their breakfast. She peered up at Merlin with a concerned expression. She too had become rather used to his incessant talking in the morning.

"Hmm?" Merlin does a very good 'innocent look' when he wants to. Arthur would have to look out for that in the future.

"Something is obviously wrong, Merlin," Arthur said as his breakfast platter was placed in front of him.

Merlin laid out Gwen's breakfast with a smile, which she returned and then he stood up straight and looked thoughtful or conflicted or puzzled. Any one of those emotions would fit.

"Out with it, Merlin," Arthur said impatiently. He didn't have time to worry about one of Merlin's mood swings. He was eager to go down to the study, the bubbling curiosity in his chest had finally reached boiling point.

"I don't think we should explore this library anymore," Merlin blurted just as Arthur was about to take a bite of sausage.

"Oh?" Arthur placed the food back down on his plate and looked at Merlin in exasperation.

"I just have a bad feeling," Merlin said and Gwen began to look concerned. Arthur wasn't nearly so worried. Merlin had a bad feeling every other day of the week.

It was usually something to do with Gaius' cooking, he was sure.

"And why is that?" Arthur decided to just humour him for a while. It was the only thing to do when Merlin was like this. It had nothing to do with Arthur actually wanting his opinion. Not at all.

"Gaius said that some of the words have meanings like 'sight' and 'foreknowledge' and 'foretell' and 'prediction'. I think… I think it will tell us of things that might not have happened yet. It might give us a glimpse into future events,"

"Well, that's a good thing, Merlin," Arthur scoffed "It will give us an advantage to know what is coming,"

"But what if you find out that something terrible is going to happen…" Merlin started saying, almost begging him to understand. Understand what though, Arthur was unsure. Merlin had a different way of thinking that was never really in sync with Arthur's thought processes. "…and you can't…even though you try… you can't stop it from happening because it has already been foretold that it would…happen,"

Arthur narrowed his eyes at his manservant. Merlin was imploring to Arthur to listen with everything in his body but his eyes. His shoulders were hunched forward, his arms respectfully behind his back. From the motion of his chest, Arthur could see he was struggling to keep his breathing even. But his eyes, his eyes were anywhere but meeting Arthur's gaze.

He could only assume that Merlin was suddenly afraid because he's probably worked himself too hard and was now seeing ghosts waiting in the shadows due to his exhaustion. He had been so eager to read the script yesterday. The library in the vaults did give out a certain aura. Something ancient and powerful, Merlin would be an idiot not be cautious at this stage. But just to make sure…

"Did something happen last night?" Arthur began "Something that I should know about?"

This caused Merlin to finally meet his eyes.

"No," he said quickly "I just don't think this is a good idea anymore,"

Arthur looked Merlin once over again. The servant had gone back to not meeting his gaze. Gwen was sending him a silent message of concern from across the table for which Arthur just shrugged in response.

"Well, thank you, Merlin," Arthur said sarcastically, chest tightening when Merlin's shoulders appeared to droop in disappointed inevitability. They both knew that this was the moment that Merlin's advice was deftly ignored by Arthur and they went and did the dangerous thing anyway (not that Arthur thought it was dangerous this time. Who ever died from reading?). Yes, Arthur was aware he did it. But when someone as stubborn and arrogant as Arthur got into a routine of behaviour with someone, it was difficult to stop. His and Merlin's relationship was based on a very simple rule: Merlin was an idiot, Arthur was a prat. Idiots shouldn't be listened to, prats didn't listen. It was only on those very rare and dark, dark nights that this rule was broken.

It hadn't got that dark yet.

"But if you don't mind…" Arthur continued regardless "I'm going to read what Gaius and Geoffrey have spent days translating anyway. You're dismissed,"

"Yes, sire,"

Arthur watched Merlin leave the room with a sigh.

"He could have stayed, Arthur," Gwen said once Merlin had shut the chamber door behind him.

She looked at him with the same kind of disappointment that Merlin had left with. He knew Gwen didn't like it when he treated Merlin more like a servant than a friend. But he _was_ a servant for gods' sake. He didn't need to feel guilty for that.

"Do you still think uncovering this library is a good idea?" she asked with a searching voice.

"Why? Because of what Merlin said?" Arthur said angrily.

"Yes," Gwen admonished. Arthur almost sat back in an attempt to get away from the glare she was directing at him. "He was genuinely worried about you, Arthur. His concerns should not be dismissed so readily. Merlin has been a good friend to you,"

"You're right," Arthur admitted. He would like to say that this meant he would listen to Merlin next time.

But he knew he would be lying.

Gwen smiled at him anyway.

It didn't take long for Arthur to finish his breakfast and arrive at the study in time to see Gaius placing his quill back into it's inkwell with a very definite air of finality.

Merlin was standing nervously in the corner of the room, his arms hugging himself with his hair stuck up at odd angle like he had just spent the last few minutes running his hands through it. Gaius was frowning at him and then down at the parchment and then the frown was very much directed at Arthur and his appearance in the room.

The atmosphere had definitely taken a turn for the worst since Arthur was last down here.

Geoffrey had yet to arrive but the room already felt small with only the three of them standing in it. There was no excited talk or hushed whispers of men focused on their task. The air was still and the tension was high.

"Sire," Gaius began. "The translation of the first passage is complete. I would like you to read it carefully, the writing on the floor and the walls appears to be some kind journal, each paragraph is a new entry,"

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked warily and began to walk over to where Gaius sat, huddled over his parchment.

"They were keeping a diary," Gaius finished and handed over the parchment filled with his neat uniform handwriting. "Geoffrey has read this and has gone to the castle library to find some old tomes that may shed some light on this…"

Arthur hesitantly took the parchment, with a brief glance at Merlin who looked like he was a man who had long ago accepted his sentence and was walking comfortably to the gallows. Arthur dismissed this as

_"On these walls, in this room, is written was has been, what is and what will be. The Kings have instructed the Seers to make a record of the future, where somebody can come to know their destiny if they so wish. So all may be blessed with the foresight. So we can all live enlightened. One will only have to open their chest to read their prediction."_

There is a break in the script and Gaius has started a new line.

_"The Kings will soon fall. Word has arrived from the Northern borders, the betrayer has been found. The time has started. The Old Prophecies will begin to unravel. Albion will be divided and will call upon the Once and Future King to unite us now and for all time. The Seers and the Prophets under the library's care can no longer See any future other than the life of our King."_

_"So much destruction. So much death. We will be hunted. We will be massacred. The Once and Future king will forsake us. Magic will fall. But Magic will follow him. For all his days Magic will follow him,"_

_"The Seers and the Prophets have moved aside the chests that have no relevance to Old Prophecies and have now begun to fill the remaining chests with new writings of the Once and Future King and the Sorcerer Immortal. We do this in the hope that he will one day find this place and See what we See. For such an important Destiny, it is so fragile. He will be our greatest King. This, no one can argue but there is a potential for great tragedy as well as great success."_

_"There is so much darkness in one lifetime. The Sorcerer Immortal will suffer greatly. Our prayers are with him always."_

_"The armies are drawing nearer. They surround us on all sides. Such knowledge that we have gathered here needs to be hidden. Any man that possesses this knowledge solely will be greatly burdened but have great power. This knowledge is not ready to be revealed at this time."_

_"One soul, one coin, one destiny."_

_"Read this our King and know that you have a choice. You may continue to read and gain great Sight or you can turn away and these secrets shall be hidden forever. These prophecies are only for you and the Sorcerer Immortal's eyes to see. Choose wisely Arthur."_

The king looked up from reading and locked onto Gaius' serious expression. He didn't know what he must look like. Probably something like a rabbit caught by a fox.

"It's talking about _me_?"

0o0o0o0

_Please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello!_

_Here's the next instalment. I'm writing this as I post so I'm sorry for the wait. I'm hoping to get a new chapter out every week. If I have more time then possibly more than that. Let me know what you think. I might have gone in a direction that most of you wouldn't expect me to._

_Thanks for all the reviews so far. They really make my day!_

Chapter 2

"It's talking about _me?_"

Merlin could feel the blood rushing in his ears, and unfortunately it didn't seem to be able to make the short trip to his face, he could imagine how sickly pale he must be looking. But he kept his features immobile and waited for Gaius to bring him back to reality with his answer. Because he couldn't say anything, however much he wanted to. Anything he said would betray the fear and anticipation that was coursing through his veins. This was too close to home. Too close to the secret. This ancient translation was an aspect of a world that Arthur _inhabited_ but was never really a _participant_. A world that had been kept from Arthur for a long time. It was a world that would undoubtedly unravel if Arthur started picking at this thread that had somehow gotten away from Merlin. How could he have been so careless?

He had been so excited about this project and Arthur's sudden desire to learn and to shed his ignorance. Arthur wanted to explore, he wanted to learn more about the magical items in the vault. And Merlin had thought that this was _fantastic_, it was wonderful, it was what he had been working towards. Arthur would learn more about magic and with that he would hopefully discover the truth. That magic was not evil. That magic could be used for good.

He just hadn't realised that this project would lead them _here_. To this particular truth.

A truth that could potentially be very dangerous to Merlin.

And immediately he was scared about Arthur's recent thirst for knowledge. And he was also scared about what he himselfwould learn. Merlin still had nightmares about the crystal cave and what he saw and that feeling of absolute helplessness as the events played out. He didn't want to learn about things that he couldn't hope to change. He never wanted to be so powerless again.

And as far as he was concerned, he had already heard more than he wanted to know. 'Sorcerer Immortal will suffer greatly…'

"I believe so, Sire," Gaius' grave voice broke through Merlin's thoughts.

Arthur reached out and pulled a chair towards him so he could sit down. Merlin watched him carefully. The king's face was solemn but not overly emotional. In true Arthur fashion he betrayed nothing of what must have been very active thoughts behind that royal facade.

Arthur sat silently and scanned the parchment in front of him again.

"Is this all there is?" he asked quietly.

Merlin had begged Gaius not to write up any more than what he already had, there would have been much more to give to him but they had both agreed (after reading that short passage) that more would probably be dangerous to present to Arthur.

The more Geoffrey and Gaius translated the text, the more Merlin had begun to learn the dialect for himself. He had learnt the important differences between the ancient text and what he was more used to speaking in his spells, he was beginning to piece together sentences.

And he didn't like what he was seeing.

He went down to visit the library, on his own, early this morning. The walls were covered with the Seer's journal entries. Not all the words were familiar to him yet but that didn't stop him spotting the same two or three, over and over again.

_Drysawla, _literally meaning 'Sorcerer Immortal' and _æftercyning_, meaning 'later king' or 'future king' and there was just plain _Artgur_ or _Athwr_. He had wondered how he hadn't seen it before. It should have been obvious. Merlin should have seen all of this. He should have turned and run as soon as he had followed Percival into the space.

But the Library was beautiful. It filled him with a sense of wonder and excited and _belonging,_ like it had been built for just him.

Now he knew why.

"Is it wise to translate more?" Gaius asked, purposefully not looking in Merlin's direction.

"If this is about me then don't I _need_ to go on?" Arthur countered with another question. "I should know if there is something I need to prepare myself for. This sorcerer that they write about… he could be dangerous,"

Merlin's heart was pounding so hard against his sternum that he was sure that Arthur should be able to hear it. He could feel it breaking with every thud against his chest. He willed his face to remain impassive while his blood seemed to writhe beneath the surface of his skin. He knew that if Arthur decided to pursue this then it would become very difficult to keep his secret. In fact, it was almost inevitable that it would be discovered. And Arthur would be learning things about Merlin that he probably didn't even know himself yet. Things that he wouldn't know how to defend, things that he would probably hate himself for. If someone had told him six or seven years ago that he would one day kill Arthur's uncle without a shred of mercy in his heart, he would be horrified with himself. He dreaded to think what more he would have to do in the future to protect Arthur, to protect Camelot and to bring about the time of Albion. He already knew that if Arthur was threatened he would go to terrible lengths to save him.

He could justify it in his own mind, but would Arthur be so forgiving when he found out the truth.

"Or you could find out more than you wanted to know," Gaius said gravely. "Prophecies come true, no matter how much you fight them. Sometimes ignorance is bliss,"

"No!" Arthur yelled and rose from his chair suddenly. It made Merlin jump and Gaius raise his eyebrow. It wasn't usual for Arthur to make such an outburst, especially at Gaius. He appeared to realise this and Arthur looked down at the parchment in his hands apologetically. In a much softer voice, he continued "I don't want to be ignorant anymore Gaius, no matter what the cost,"

Arthur handed the parchment back to Gaius and ran a hand through his hair.

"These 'chests' they talk about?" Arthur asked.

"The wooden boxes," Gaius pointed a finger to a couple that were on the desk, including the one that Merlin had been handling fondly over the last few days. Merlin swallowed and itched to take the box away from the desk. Away from Arthur. He didn't know why, it was just one of those strong and incomprehensible feelings. "It was common practice for the Seers to write prophecies on a small piece of parchment, seal it with wax and lock them in a wooden box for safe-keeping and so that the person who opened it would know if it had been tampered with,"

"And all of them are about me?" Arthur pressed.

Gaius hesitated and he couldn't help but let his eyes flick briefly in Merlin's direction. Merlin held his breath but it didn't appear like Arthur had noticed the slip.

"I would say a vast majority are," Gaius replied. "From that passage I gave you and other sources that Geoffrey is now gathering, I have understood that these Seers were in the employment of one of the four fallen kings. It looks like they began this practice as a public service, so anyone could come and read their prophecy if they desired. When the kings began their descent and the battles broke out across the land, this changed."

"How do we find out which ones are about me?" Arthur asked and Gaius looked wary and concerned again. The older man's lips were tight and thin and Merlin had known Gaius long enough to know when he felt torn and unsure this was the look that graced his features. Arthur realised this too. "I know you don't think this is a good idea, Gaius. But I just _need_ to do this,"

Gaius nodded sombrely.

"I will translate more of the walls, I think they may give some indication of where to begin looking," Gaius gave in with a sigh, conveniently not telling the king that more could be written in the next five minutes if needed.

"This says that magic will follow me always…" Arthur said faintly, drawing himself back to the abandoned parchment. He was staring it like the words on it would change if only he stared at it long enough. Like it would change as long he believed hard enough that it wasn't true.

Merlin smiled grimly and looked away from the king to hide his face. His throat was dry and he knew he was being unusually silent. He wanted to say to him 'It does matter how much you try, you can't change destiny'. He wanted to place a hand on his shoulder and tell him that it's not so bad, with the sorrow also comes joy, that even though the destiny is so large sometimes that you feel like it will crush you, the people around you will pull you through and give you the will to fight another day. But he couldn't. Not just because an average servant should not know what it's like to have a great destiny but also because he needed someone to say those words to him first before he could even contemplate trying to speak. All that would come out at the moment would be a croak and possibly some fearful squeak.

Arthur looked lost. It was so unnerving to see the King look lost, he never was this way. And Merlin almost did it. Almost comforted Arthur like Merlin wanted to be comforted. The way that Gaius had perfected over the years, when it all became too much.

"You must realise, sire, that prophecies rarely give the entire picture, it is an unreliable magic at the best of times. What is written will always be the truth but its actual meaning can be distorted by that particular Seer," Gaius explained "In the same way a child will understand what they see differently from an old man watching the same thing. It may not literally mean that magic will follow you,"

Arthur nodded grimly.

He placed the parchment down onto the desk next to the box. He touched it briefly, tracing the carving with his fingers, Merlin tensed up and resisted the urge to grab it off the desk. But Arthur mercifully left it where it was and then stood to leave.

He looked up to Gaius and Merlin.

"Please find out as much as you can," he said "They've presented me with a choice. I choose not to be blind anymore, I will not surrender to ignorance"

He left Merlin and Gaius alone with the script.

0o0o0o0o0

As soon as Arthur left Merlin felt his body instantly relax but it was time to act and act swiftly.

"We're not actually going to let him do this?" Merlin started, walking up to Gaius and taking up the nearest sheet of wax rubbings but also resting his hand on the box.

"I don't see what choice we have, Merlin," Gaius said "The damage is done, he will not let this rest. Not with the way his mood has been lately,"

They shared a knowing look. Merlin placed the sheet back down.

"But I cannot hope to keep my magic hidden if there is a group of Seers who have written all my secrets in little boxes and addressed them to Arthur," Merlin said in frustration and picked up the box on the desk angrily. "…probably secrets I don't even have yet," he muttered.

Then he felt he needed to address the thing that had been bothering him the most since first reading the passage.

"Gaius… it said… 'Sorcerer _Immortal_'," he started. Gaius stopped arranging the wax rubbings in any particular order and regarded his ward closely, warily. "Did they mean that literally?"

Merlin didn't know why this thought suddenly made him feel very alone. He suddenly felt more isolated than he ever had before and for some inexplicable reason he just _knew_… he just knew that it was meant literally. As soon as the question left his lips the knowledge hung around his neck like shackles and the tears burned unbidden behind his eyes.

He looked away from Gaius quickly and stared at the box in his hands again. Gaius mercifully left the question unanswered but his mentor looked so very sad for a moment that Merlin felt like someone had just gripped his heart and squeezed it mercilessly.

Merlin didn't even want to think about what that could mean. Living forever.

It was impossible even to imagine.

Merlin brought himself back to the present with a resolve to just move forward. He had to just keep moving forward. He couldn't change it now, there was no point in dwelling. He swallowed back the lump in his throat.

This box was important. He touched the small chest's carvings again. In exactly the same place as Arthur had. This box had something significant inside it.

And he knew it was probably foolish.

And he knew it was probably unfair.

But he shoved it in his pocket and turned to leave.

He ignored the raise of Gaius' eyebrow and the questioning but concerned look that followed him out of the room. He travelled swiftly through the castle with the chest tucked securely in his jacket. His pace was quick and he refused to look anyone in the eye until he got to his room, where he swiftly removed the loose floorboard and threw the box underneath like it was about to turn into a venomous snake and attack at any moment. He slammed the floorboard back into place and felt immediately better for it, even if he was now breathing heavily and his skin crawled and itched for some unknown and disconcerting reason.

He wanted to scream but he couldn't find his voice.

He wanted to hit something but his arms felt heavy and numb.

He wanted to hide but he had never felt so exposed.

It was ridiculous. But he had to control that _one thing_. He had to be in control of that one box. Arthur would carry on until that whole room was turned inside out, until the whole room was read, until he knew the whole truth. But Merlin could stop him from knowing what was in _that_ box.

It was unreasonable. Arthur had the right to know the truth if he wanted. Merlin should have probably told him the truth himself, a long time ago. Merlin had no right to keep it from him now. Not now that he actively wanted to learn. But just because Arthur wanted to know, didn't mean that when he eventually found out the truth, he would react well. And Merlin was terrified, he felt like he was circling the drain. Like he had quicksand shifting under his feet. Like it was all happening without his consent.

He had always thought that when Arthur found out about all of this, it would be because Merlin had told him. That Merlin had decided it was time and he had sat him down and was finally completely honest with his friend. He took a deep shuddering breath at the thought.

Would that ever really have happened? He had become so used to keeping the secret that it was a second nature to him now. Would he ever have been brave enough? Did he even know how to tell the truth anymore? He had even started lying to himself.

Did he have any control over his own life anymore?

Would every single one of his actions be written before they happened?

Would he be destiny's puppet forever?

And by gods didn't forever seem such a long time now.

"Merlin?"

Merlin jumped and spun around to face Gaius.

His mentor looked grave but understanding and it was then that Merlin felt the wetness on his cheeks. He touched a finger to them and was confused to see the tears there. He didn't even know when he had started crying.

Gaius quickly closed the distance and wrapped his arms around his ward. Merlin was numb enough to not even register the embrace for the first few moments but eventually he brought his arms up and hung onto Gaius like a lifeline. He burrowed his head into the old man's shoulder and breathed in the familiar scent of dried herbs and wood smoke. He hadn't felt more like a child now than he had for a long time.

"When he finds out…" Merlin mumbled into Gauis' tunic.

"He might not," Gaius interrupted but Merlin knew a lie when he heard it, they both knew it was a lie. He lifted his head to look at his mentor and smiled grimly at him. Letting him know that appreciated the gesture anyway.

"What should I do?" Merlin asked as he let go of his tight grip.

"Well… the King has ordered us to translate more of the text. And the job will be much easier with you there," Gaius said fondly.

"I don't know if I can help Arthur do this," Merlin said "He doesn't understand how horrible it is to know what is going to happen before it does. I… I don't know if I can do it again…"

"I think you underestimate him. I think he knows the risk. He just refuses to be kept in the dark any longer," Gaius said gravely. "It might… it might be the right time to tell him about your magic,"

This made Merlin snap his attention to Gaius' face. The man looked deadly serious.

It was an option. Merlin could still have that talk that he had always imagined he would have with Arthur one day. It was not too late. He could tell him now before he went any further.

Wasn't that what he had always wanted after all?

To be honest with Arthur.

Then why was he so scared? Why did he want to tell Gaius how ridiculous he was being? Why did he suddenly want to run away and hide?

Oh, how their roles had reversed, it was ironic. He remembered that in his first year in Camelot, it had been Gaius who had stopped him from telling Arthur the truth then.

When had Merlin stopped wanting that? When had Merlin become so cynical that he no longer believed that Arthur would understand (eventually) and maybe even accept him? When had he become so comfortable in his lies and his deceit?

Maybe when he had poisoned Morgana? When he had released the dragon on Camelot? When he had lost his father? When he had lost Freya? It could even go back to when he had lost Will. When these trials, these sufferings, were secret, hidden in his own little secret world, he could pretend that they hurt less. And even sometimes, he could pretend that they hadn't happened at all.

Would he be able to tell Arthur about all these things that had happened without his resolve crumbling?

"You can either tell him or be there when he finds out," Gaius continued. "I fear that it has become inevitable that Arthur will know by the end of this,"

Merlin nodded and rubbed a hand over his tired face. It was inevitable. He knew this much by what was left written on the walls by the Seers. They were writing it _all_ down. Everything about Merlin's life transcribed into little boxes and categorised neatly for easy-access.

"You think I should tell him," Merlin confirmed.

"It is your decision to make, my boy," Gaius said softly. Merlin had a feeling that Gaius was just as unnerved by the prospect as Merlin was beginning to be.

"I have no idea of how he will react," Merlin began to pace his small room and run a hand through his hair.

Arthur had been so hardened against magic now. With the death of his father and Morgana's betrayal, Merlin was afraid that Arthur would never be willing to see magic as anything but evil. And Merlin did not want Arthur to believe that he was evil. He didn't know how he would be able to go on if Arthur decided to hate him. He couldn't live with Arthur hating him.

But he knew there would be a better chance of salvaging their relationship if the truth came from Merlin's lips, rather than Arthur reading it on a message sent by stranger generations ago.

Gaius had kept silent and just watched Merlin pace.

"You may just have to trust Arthur to do the right thing," Gaius said with finality.

Merlin simply looked at Gaius and the understanding was passed between them. Merlin trusted Arthur with his life.

"I better go now. Before I talk myself out of it," Merlin muttered and stormed out of the room

As he left he saw Gaius swallow heavily out of the corner of his eye.

0o0o0o0

His palms were sweaty, his heart was racing, his throat was scratchy, and he couldn't stop blinking (for some strange reason).

Merlin stood just outside the door to the King's chambers and switched from foot to foot in nervous anticipation.

What if he didn't need to do this?

What if they were over-reacting? What if they opened the boxes and there was nothing in them?

He would have done this for nothing.

But it wouldn't be for nothing, would it? If Arthur didn't find out this time, what about the next? What if Merlin had to use his magic to save him out in a battle somewhere, and Arthur saw him? When would he have a better time to do this?

He'd made his decision now. He'd just have to face the music.

He heard noises coming from inside the room and he stilled his nervous fidgeting to listen. There was talking, a woman's voice. It was Gwen.

That discovery almost made him bolt right there and then.

It was one thing… finally telling Arthur. He hadn't thought about the possibility of there being witnesses. He had only thought about Arthur's reaction. What about Gwen's reaction? He had been lying to her all this time as well. She could feel just as betrayed as Arthur could. They could both hate him.

He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. He would do it. He just needed a moment…

Then he heard Gwen shout something at Arthur and his interest was immediately piqued again.

He had never heard Gwen shout at Arthur.

Not unless Arthur was in danger.

Was Arthur in danger?

Previous thoughts forgotten, Merlin barrelled into the room, hurling the heavy wooden door out on its hinges.

He didn't know what he expected to see in the chambers. Maybe someone about to assassinate the King, possibly a magical beast, he would even have considered seeing Morgana again.

But all he saw was Gwen's worried and haggard face.

And Arthur standing there with a piece of parchment clutched in his right hand and a small, carved, _open_ wooden box in his left.

Arthur looked up at Merlin's sudden entrance with an unreadable expression on his face. The room felt very still.

"Arthur..?" Merlin said questioningly.

Arthur's eyes bored into Merlin's and the warlock began to think that he was already too late, Arthur looked too angry for this to be anything good.

"What are you doing?" Merlin asked shakily.

Gwen took a step towards Merlin and he noticed how she hugged herself and looked almost frightened.

"I just couldn't wait any longer, Merlin," Arthur said finally with short controlled breaths. "I can't explain it… I could… I needed…I _had_ to know…"

"But you can't even read it," Merlin chuckled. But it was a strained laugh, one that scratched his throat on the way out.

Arthur glanced down at the paper in front of him.

"I can read this one," he almost whispered.

Gwen looked at Merlin with sadness and he had the unfathomable urge to reach out and hold her, to take her hand and comfort her.

He didn't think Arthur would appreciate that very much though. Instead he took a step towards Arthur, his footsteps seemed to echo too loudly in the quite room. Then he asked the question that he knew he didn't want the answer to.

"What does it say?" Merlin asked with more courage than he felt.

Arthur flinched and held the paper even more tightly in his clasped fist.

"_Arthur will be born by magic, his life will be owed to his father's folly. Arthur will live beside magic, it will surround him through people and places and events. Arthur will die by magic and die by the sword_," Arthur read it slowly and his eyes grew darker as he went.

Merlin couldn't move. He may have forgotten how to do it. Breathing was also becoming difficult.

"You said… _you_ said…" Arthur gritted his teeth as he spoke to Merlin. "You said that Morgause had been _lying_. You said that, Merlin,"

He could be suffocating now. The air was forcefully pushed from his lungs and he was struggling to remember how to inhale again.

"Why would you say that, Merlin?"

0o0o0o0

_Ah! I know I'm horrible to leave it there! _

_I would say I'm sorry but I'd be lying._

_I'll do some review replies now because I want to answer some questions. If you don't get a reply it's because I haven't thought of anything interesting to say to you other than 'THANK YOU SO MUCH'_

_Mark – I didn't want Merlin to know too much so the language was something like the Old Religion but not exactly. In the same way that we might be able to recognise some latin words but wouldn't be able to read a sentence. The first chapter was in Arthur's POV so hopefully in this chapter you got some answers._

_Lisa87 – Yes, Merlin is a little upset but he's powering through. There'll be more on the 'Immortal' thing later. No sad ending though, promise! I also quite liked that line you quoted too :P_

_TwilightCharmedFai e – I'll take cool. Cool is good._

_Thanks again to all of you! Please review_


	3. Chapter 3

_Good evening! _

_I am posting this without checking through it too much, mainly because it is late and I wanted to get this posted before I went to bed (if I didn't then I would be able to do it until Wednesday and I set myself a target of one chapter a week). So I apologise for any appalling writing. Please tell me if there is something unforgiveable in this chapter and I will edit as soon as I can._

_Hope you enjoy._

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Why would you say that, Merlin?"

Arthur could quite get his head around the concept. It was a mystery that he never thought he would have to solve. Never did he once think that he would have to contemplate why _Merlin_, of all people, would have lied to him. Not about something so personal, so important.

So he was confused and hurt and he thought he must have read it wrong but when he looked down the words were still cruelly inked onto the parchment in its neat slanted handwriting.

He couldn't understand it and desperately wanted Merlin to explain it to him. To tell him he was wrong. To tell him that it wasn't true. But all that Merlin was doing right now was staring at him with wide and frightened eyes. Mouth firmly shut and not offering Arthur any kind of solace at all.

_Arthur will be born by magic, his life will be owed to his father's folly._

That could only mean what he thought it meant. Couldn't it?

His father had turned to magic to give him an heir and his mother was the price. His father's folly. His father's hypocrisy. His father's ignorance.

He feels the anger building within him, it becomes so strong that it grips his heart, making every beat painful and laboured. It churns his stomach and he grits his jaw against the unpleasant feeling.

Merlin looks as if he will say something but he stops himself and it just serves to make Arthur even angrier. What is so hard about this? Why can't he just admit to Arthur that he lied? Why can't he just tell him the truth now? His secret's out. He's lost.

"I…" Merlin starts and suddenly can't meet Arthur's gaze. "I'm sorry…" he mumbles.

"You're SORRY!?" Arthur shouts and slams the wooden chest down onto the desk. Guinevere jumps and looks fearfully at him. He feels a little guilty about Gwen being here. She had told him not to open the box until Gaius had translated more of the journal on the wall. She told him that it might be easy to misinterpret anything that he found. That he needed to act wisely, not impulsively.

It's true that he may not have fully understood what this prophecy was saying and that his anger may have been premature but that was until Merlin had just confirmed that he had lied with an apology. You didn't apologise if you hadn't done anything wrong. He wouldn't have said sorry if he hadn't lied.

But he didn't want apologies. He wanted explanations. And Merlin was still condemningly silent.

_This _was why he started this project in the first place. _This_ was why he needed to search for more knowledge. _This_ was why he cannot trust what people tell him anymore.

If he cannot even trust Merlin to tell him the truth then who can he trust? Merlin had always been his constant, his control, his guidance. He had been the one thing that Arthur had thought he could rely on.

But the guilt and the conflict in Merlin's expression was enough to hit Arthur at his foundations.

Maybe Arthur had been foolish to place so must trust in one person. But Merlin had never been just anybody to him. Merlin was his friend… Sometimes he had thought he was his only friend. The only person to treat Arthur like a real person. Like an equal.

"You… You were going to kill him, Arthur," Merlin started quietly, shaking his head and looking at the floor. "You were going to kill your father,"

Gwen gasped and placed a hand to her mouth. She looked at Arthur with such searching confusion. As if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her undying loyalty and belief in him shone in her hazel eyes and Arthur couldn't help but find himself feeling ashamed, but even if he could go back to that moment in the throne room all those years ago he didn't think he'd do anything differently (except maybe not listen to Merlin and do what he had planned to do all along).

"If I hadn't said what I said, you would have killed Uther," Merlin said gaining confidence in his voice and finally met Arthur's eyes again. He seemed to have come to some solution, some decision .

"Maybe he would have deserved it," Arthur spat coldly and ran a tired hand through his hair.

Gwen flicked her eyes between the two men in the room. He knew that she didn't know what was happening, he hadn't explained himself very well while Gwen was shouting at him to stop reading, before Merlin had barged into the room. All she could do was watch and try and piece together a disjointed memory.

"Guinevere," he said gruffly. "Could I have a moment alone with Merlin?"

To her credit, Gwen did not put up a fuss, she had always respected the relationship that Arthur had with Merlin. A relationship that certainly felt severely threatened at the moment. It made Arthur feel nauseous, his relationship with Merlin had been solid, built on a firm ground, now it felt as turbulent as a boat at sea.

If Merlin couldn't explain _why_ he thought he could do this, why he thought it was ok to lie about _this_, then Arthur couldn't (wouldn't) trust him as explicitly as he had always done before. He just couldn't.

She left the room with a last apprehensive glance at Arthur and shut the large mahogany door of the chambers behind her to give them some privacy.

Merlin started almost as soon as she had left.

"Arthur, I couldn't let you kill him. I know you wanted to. I know you're angry," Merlin stepped towards him again and soon there were only a couple of feet between them.

For the first time he noticed how much the lines of Merlin's face had changed over the years. He had grown older, of course, but he had also grown broader and his cheekbones weren't as harshly prominent as they used to be. But if it were possible, Merlin had also lost some of his innocence from his face, there was something darker about Merlin that he had never noticed before and he started to wonder when that had happened. How had he missed such a change? When had his wide-eyed farm boy innocence vanished to be replaced by a weathered and wise adulthood? Had Arthur done this to him?

"If I hadn't said anything, you would have killed him and it would have destroyed you," Merlin said confidently "It would have destroyed you and you know it. You wouldn't have forgiven yourself. You loved your father. Your father loved you,"

It was not that Merlin was wrong, it was just that the anger coursing through Arthur at the moment was making it hard for him to remember how much he had revered his father at one point. Merlin was rational, Arthur was not. He wanted to yell and scream at Uther, but the bastard was dead and wouldn't even give Arthur that one reprieve. If Uther was alive today Arthur could tell him exactly what he thought of him, show him exactly what a despicable and horrible thing he had done. Arthur would have attacked him and forced all the hurt that he felt at this moment onto the man with physical blows.

His mother…

He had to live without a mother because of him.

Merlin didn't understand.

Sure, Merlin had never known his father but a mother was different. Merlin had Hunith. Beautiful and sweet Hunith who held Merlin when he cried and stroked his hair and hugged him, told him stories.

Uther might as well have killed his mother himself. Uther took that from him.

But not only that, Uther had not blamed himself for his mother's death. Uther had blamed magic for it.

All those people…

Arthur staggered backwards and luckily felt the back of his knees collide with a waiting chair. He hadn't realised that one had been there before but he was glad it was there now as he fell heavily into it.

"Arthur?" Merlin rushed forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me," Arthur growled, sinking a furious look into a face that may as well be a stranger's, for all that Arthur recognised it now. Merlin snatched his hand away and looked hurt but Arthur couldn't care less at the moment.

Merlin had protected Uther.

Why would he protect such a person?

Would it really have affected Arthur so much? Killing his father?

Arthur took a deep breath and closed his eyes as the truth hit him like a slap in the face.

Of course it would have affected him. Of course he would have regretted it. Of course it would have destroyed him. If Arthur had killed his father and come to the throne that way, it would have made him no better than Morgana. He would have become what she had become. A creature full of hate and bitterness and cruelty.

It was right, that Merlin had decided to step in. Arthur realised that he'd been doing what Merlin had always been doing. Protecting Arthur. Not Uther.

But he had lied.

And that had shaken Arthur a lot more than the king was prepared to admit.

Merlin had lied.

Arthur studied Merlin's face again for a moment. The other man was struggling with this as much as Arthur was, that was apparent. His eyes were shining with worry and Arthur could swear that he could see Merlin's shoulders shake slightly.

"It wasn't for you to decide," Arthur said barely above a whisper. "I deserved to know the truth,"

Merlin's lips drew together and he nodded slightly.

"I can't say that what I did was the best thing to do," Merlin said in a solemn and deep voice. "Because I'm sure that there were plenty of ways that I could've done it better that you could probably tell me a few…but at the time…in that split second, I chose to lie to you. And I can't change that now,"

Arthur couldn't think what else Merlin could have said that would've stopped Arthur's attack on his father. He had been so consumed with rage that it was possible that the only way that anyone could have got through to him would be to invalidate what he had been told. Maybe the only way there could've been to stop him would've been to lie to him. Maybe, on some level, Arthur had been waiting for someone to tell him it wasn't true.

But now the evidence was here in his hand. Written in ancient script that somehow Arthur could read as clearly as any modern document.

"I understand, Merlin…" Arthur said slowly and began to stare at the piece of paper again.

The tension visibly left Merlin's shoulders and face. Arthur could feel the relief coming from his friend in waves. He didn't know quite how to take that. Arthur was still angry with Merlin but he had nothing to justify it with anymore. Merlin had done what needed to be done. For Camelot. For Arthur.

It still hurt though.

"I think I want to be alone for a while, Merlin," Arthur muttered.

Merlin shifted but didn't make to leave the room. The servant looked towards the door as if he was considering leaving but something was making him stay and Arthur felt so tired suddenly that he couldn't find the energy to force him.

"Arthur… I wanted to speak to you…"

Arthur tore his eyes away from the crumpled paper but hadn't really heard Merlin. His thoughts were too loud, too muddled.

"It says I'm going to die by magic and by the sword," he said as he looked up at Merlin again.

Merlin frowned and his brow furrowed in concentration.

"Can I see it?" he asked holding out his hand to take the paper from Arthur.

"You won't be able to read it," Arthur said "It's enchanted somehow, Guinevere couldn't decipher it, I think she thinks I've gone mad," he chuckled bitterly.

Arthur handed it to him anyway and for a brief moment he thought Merlin could understand it but then the servant's face went blank and Merlin shook his head.

"I can take it to Gaius," he said "Maybe he will know why you can read it but nobody else can,"

"'_These prophecies are only for you and the Sorcerer Immortal's eyes to see.'" _Arthur quoted. "I bet you anything that if that sorcerer were here, he would be able to read it,"

"I think you're probably right there," Merlin said staring at the parchment again.

Arthur couldn't fathom the expression on Merlin's face in that moment. It was true that Arthur was now looking at Merlin in a different way than he had before, he couldn't read him like he thought he could and he was still not sure how he felt about what they had discussed today. There were probably a lot more things that he and Merlin would need to talk about. But Arthur was too tired now. Too shaken.

"Merlin…" Arthur said as he pushed himself up from his chair. "Take it to Gaius. I need… to think. I need to think about all of this and you being here right now is not helping,"

Merlin nodded and smoothed out the crumpled parchment against his jacket. He walked slowly across the chambers and Arthur watched his every move. Once again it astonished Arthur how much Merlin had changed over the years, the man's walk had even become stronger and less clumsy. Somehow.

Maybe he hadn't known Merlin as well as he thought he had. Maybe he just had an idea of how he thought Merlin should be and if anything didn't fit that idea he had just ignored it. He hadn't wanted Merlin to grow up.

Merlin turned with his hand on the latch of the chamber door.

"I have only ever done what I needed to protect you," he said as he met Arthur's tired eyes. "I have never tried to hurt you, I _will_ never do anything with the intention to cause you pain."

"I know," Arthur replied.

And he was relieved to find that he believed Merlin whole-heartedly in that. That was the Merlin he knew.

0o0o0o0o0

"I couldn't do it Gaius," Merlin said "Not after that,"

Merlin had related what had happened in Arthur's chambers earlier that afternoon to Gaius and the older man had looked grave all the way through Merlin's recount of the events. Gaius had kept that secret from Arthur also. In his oath to Uther, Gaius would also shoulder some of the blame for Arthur's anger and hurt.

"If he reacts that strongly to this, what about all the other lies I've told him? What about all the other things I've done?" Merlin asked forlornly looking out the small window of Geoffrey's study and into Camelot below. Evening was drawing in and Merlin couldn't help but likening it to the darkening in his heart as well. What if Arthur never forgave him? It seemed like Arthur had forgiven him for that lie, but what about all the others?

"He will find out whether you tell him or not," Gaius said not unkindly. "I can only think that he might take it better if the truth came from you,"

"I know,"

At that moment Geoffrey bustled into the room with a couple of books hastily shoved under his arm and his glasses balanced precariously on his nose. He looked distracted but gave a quick smile and a nod to both Gaius and Merlin before slamming the tomes onto the table, scattering the wax rubbings.

"These are the only texts I could find that speak about the oldest part of the city's history," Geoffrey panted lightly "I don't know how useful they will be and I daresay we might find out far more by translating the writing in the library than reading these books will ever give us but it is always better to have more than one source of information,"

His enthusiasm and excitement made Merlin smile against his will. Unfortunately, he wasn't really in the mood for finding out anything else.

As well as worrying about what Arthur was beginning to learn, Merlin was also starting to resent learning it himself.

_Arthur will die by magic and die by the sword_

That couldn't be any clearer.

That told him that he will eventually and inevitably fail. One day he would not be able to save Arthur.

And then he would live forever with that knowledge.

"Well I've begun translating the next part but I'm afraid our young king has gotten slightly ahead of us, old friend," Gaius informed Geoffrey in a lighter tone than was really suitable. Gaius held up the small sheet of parchment and the box it came from as evidence for the aging librarian.

Geoffrey pushed his glasses up his nose and took the parchment to get a closer look.

"Apparently, he can read it," Gaius told him and Geoffrey gave him an incredulous look. "No one else can. I think the prophecies have been enchanted so only their intended recipient can read them,"

"How interesting…" Geoffrey muttered. "Is he going to be opening more?"

"I can't say," Gaius said darkly. "I think he is eager to know more but impatient,"

0o0o0o0

Luckily for Merlin, Arthur did not open another box and had confirmed to him that he was now willing to wait to see what else the journal on the walls would tell them.

Arthur had been burnt once and was now hesitant to go back into the kitchen. It was a day and a half before Gaius felt that they had enough to present to Arthur again. In that time Arthur had been distant and cold towards Merlin and also, somewhat unfairly, to Gwen.

Merlin had thought more about finally telling Arthur about his magic but every time he tried to compose the words in his head he remembered the hurt in Arthur's eyes and he found that he just couldn't do it.

Merlin had never felt more like a coward in his life.

And this meant Merlin was just as distant to Arthur as the king was to him.

Poor Gwen was stuck in the middle, not knowing how to help either of them. Arthur had told her about what they had spoken about and what had happened all those years ago with Morgause. This meant that Gwen was also digesting the uncomfortable truth of the matter. And all of them were unusually silent in their brooding.

And the next translation was not going to help Merlin much.

It was in the afternoon of the second day that Merlin, Gaius and Geoffrey handed their work to the king.

"_The Seers are working to the best of their ability to finish the prophecies of the Once and Future king. A sickness has broken out among the fellowship, the visions are becoming stronger and more vivid every day with the fever. No medical aid can be administered to us through the siege on the city walls._

_The weaker of us have taken to our beds, they become demented and hysterical. They have difficulty distinguishing between vision and reality._

_The first of us have fallen. They passed in their sleep unable to record their last predictions. Some are fearful that recording the old prophecies will bring about our end. That the time of the Seers and the Prophets will pass with the coming of the new age. However, most of us are faithful to our cause. The Sorcerer Immortal will need our scripture more than he will realise._

_The visions are coming to us with more force. Arguments have started between the Seers. Some of the prophecies that have been written have begun to contradict the prophecies of old. They say that madness has finally taken us. That we no longer See the truth. That we are writing falsehoods. I cannot believe this to be true._

_The elder Seers have advised us that we are dealing with something rare and almost unheard of. A split future. A future that follows two distinct paths, two paths separated by one person. The prophecies of the Sorcerer Immortal will hold the answer to the prevention of Arthur's demise. We have renewed our efforts though I fear we cannot go on much longer."_

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_Please review!_


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